Hi, I was wondering what would be the best solution for optimized (or close enough) when trying out different papers without a RIP or custom profiling capabilites. I was pretty much set on the Epson 4800 but decided to wait until more info is available for the new Canon IPF5000. With the 4800 I think I wouldn't have much choice but to pay for the ImagePrint RIP (phatte black), which would take of the paper profiles. With the ink swapping problem taken care of on the canon I wouldn't need the RIP, but I'm not quite sure what to do when using/trying out different papers. Do you just purchase profiles from certain sources? Do some provide profiles that are generally better than others?

I should mention that I've got quite a few expenses coming my way and not much money so if I could get away with not having to spend $900 for a RIP or more for a profiling system that would certainly help A LOT. But I also don't want to get bad results from trying to print on the cheap.

If you purchase the Imageprint RIP, for the Epson 4800 for example, you have unlimited access to profiles for almost all available papers. ColorByte is very good about creating new profiles as soon as new papers become available. I've never encountered a paper that they didn't have profiles for.

If you go with the Canon iPF 5000 you'll need to to either have someone make profiles for you (usually $50 - $100 each) or buy something like the Eye One spectrophotometer and make you own (about $1,300).

If you go with the Canon iPF 5000 you'll need to to either have someone make profiles for you (usually $50 - $100 each) or buy something like the Eye One spectrophotometer and make you own (about $1,300).

thanks for the replies. i guess the only real question now is which companies or sources have the best, or at least very high quality profiles. anybody have any experience with this, or is everyone here using their own custom made profile and/or using RIPs?

I thought that I read somewhere that Imageprint might be available at some point for the IPF 5000. Is there anything to this or was it just late-night fatigue?[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=68640\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I made an e-mail query to Colorbyte sales a few weeks ago and they replied that they were developing support for the IPF 5000 and that it would be available in about 2 months.

I don't imagine that Imageprint for the iPF 5000 will be here too soon. These printers will take a while till they achieve any sort of serious market pentration, and so ColorBytes motivation to get a RIP to market quickly isn't that high.

I made an e-mail query to Colorbyte sales a few weeks ago and they replied that they were developing support for the IPF 5000 and that it would be available in about 2 months.[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=68756\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Well, given the fact that they've been saying "next week" with regard to support for the Epson 2400 for about 6 months now, can extrapolate from that and say that IPF5000 support will be hear in about 4 years?